By Alan Abrams, La Prensa Senior Correspondent

Toledo and Northwest Ohio are blessed with the presence of two
flourishing long-established dance groups, Ballet Folklorico
Imagenes Mexicanas and El Corazón de México.

Both troupes uphold the long heritage of outstanding Toledo-area
based folkloric dance groups which dates back at least to 1971.

El Corazón de México

The Perrysburg-based Ballet Folklorico Imagenes Mexicanas
has performed at a White House function for President Bill
Clinton, entertained actor Edward James Olmos at his Stranahan
Theatre appearance for the Junior League of Toledo, and more
recently danced at the iconic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in
Cleveland.

According to Anita Serda, the group’s booking and
marketing manager, Ballet Folklorico Imagenes Mexicanas competed
against twelve groups from Texas and Oklahoma to win the honor
of performing at Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas during
Diversity Week.

They have also performed throughout Northwest Ohio, including
appearances at the Willard Hispanic Diversity celebration, the
Black Heritage Library & Multicultural Center in Findlay—where
they performed two flood relief benefits for founder Nina
Parker—and at venues in Defiance and Newark.

Serda says the group was formed 18 years ago. She has been
affiliated with them for almost five years. “I became involved
through my son James, who is now the group’s co-artistic
director. My son had an interest in dancing and had this
opportunity to work with the dance group. I first saw them when
they appeared at the annual festival sponsored by the Perrysburg
Heights Community Association,” recalls Serda.

“The group just completed their Cinco de Mayo tour in which they
performed 12 shows in 7 days. We have 67 performances on this
year’s schedule, which is a lot when you remember there are only
52 weeks in the year. Early this summer we’ll be at the Toledo
Botanical Garden, the Viva South celebration and at LatinoFest,”
says Serda.

“During July we appear at retirement homes and senior citizen
centers because we always like to give back to the community by
doing community service,” adds Serda. “During August we begin to
prepare for September and Hispanic Heritage Month. We have a lot
of corporate bookings including one from Boeing. This is just
such a great opportunity to represent Mexican culture.”

Serda explains that because the group travels by bus, van, and
cars, they have a unique opportunity to see the country as well
as interact with diverse groups of people

Raquel Rodríguez
is the group’s co-artistic director, sharing responsibilities
with James Serda. She has been studying business
accounting at the University of Toledo for two years and works
at the UT Federal Credit Union, “But other than school and work,
dancing is everything else,” says Rodríguez.

“I started dancing when I was two and joined the group when I
was eight,” she adds.

“I believe it is very important to get our kids into culture and
not have them wind up on the streets or on drugs. And I notice
that the kids really want to learn about their culture.

“Imagenes Mexicanas isn’t just a group. It is family. And
dancing isn’t just entertainment, it is a way of life,” says
Rodríguez.

That sentiment was echoed by her co-artistic director James
Serda. “The group is very family oriented. We have an open
family environment,” says Serda, who turns 21 on the first of
June.

Anita Serda says there are 35 active dancers in the group (out
of a total of 38 members) all between the ages of four and 24.

Ballet Folklorico Imágenes Mexicanas is a project of the
Perrysburg Heights Community Association. Their mailing address
is P.O. Box 612, Perrysburg, OH 43552-0612.

Elaina Hernández
of El Corazón de México dance troupe is the daughter of
the legendary Ray Soto. The name of the group translates in
English to ‘The Heart of México.’

.

“I started the group in 1996 when I was 15,” recalls Hernández,
who has been dancing for 23 years—since she was six.

She directed the group with her sister, Ann Marie Soto,
now a law student at the University of Washington in Washington
State where she operates her own troupe, Bailadores de Bronce.

Hernández has studied under Maestro Carlos Vega of
México, director Sam Córtez of Chicago and instructor
Rene Cardoza of Chicago. She has been directing and
choreographing for more than 14 years.

“There were only eight members when we started. The group has
now grown to include 25 active members, although there are more
than 30 members. We have had as many as 40 active members. When
they get older and go to college, they move on. But we have had
some dancers from grade school through college. There were some
who started when they were 3 and are now 19,” says Hernández,
who fondly refers to “my guys – the three older guys who have
been with me for a long time.”

Hernández says the group’s most exciting appearance was at
Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida on December 27, 2007.

“We had a lot of community support for that engagement. In order
to go to Disney World we had to hold a fundraiser to get the
money for a bus. We raised $17,000,” says Hernández.

“The show was a whirlwind of adventure,” says Hernández. “We
arrived one hour before the performance and we had to get
through the post-Christmas holiday crowd.

“The kids really worked hard. All the kids paid $100 to go on
the trip, but they got the money back when were there to use for
spending money.

“We were invited to return, but we’re going to wait a little
longer. That way the younger kids will be older, and hopefully
the economy will not be so bad,” says Hernández.

She says the group is hoping to dance at this year’s LatinoFest
(June 13, 2009) and at the Columbus Hispanic Festival, and will
be at the SS. Peter and Paul Festival in August. They will also
be performing at the Latino Scholarship Day with the Toledo Mud
Hens on July 26, 2009, which is sponsored by La Prensa
and the Spanish American Organization.

“We are always accepting new members,” says Hernández, “You
don’t have to be Hispanic or even Mexican to be a member. Three
of our kids aren’t Hispanic, some are half. One of our dancers,
France Fu, is from Hong Kong and is a professional instructor
for the Toledo Ballet.

“We are trying to educate Hispanics and non-Hispanics alike. Our
dancers learn about the culture of all of México’s 32 states.
Some of them discover their rich family heritage and tell me
things like ‘my grandmother used to dance’ and ‘I am very proud
of who I am.’ They do not have to be the stereotypical
Mexican-American. They can do it through the dancing.

“I make a strong effort for the kids to know that they succeed,
and I promote education. After all, they’re my kids. And I’m
proud of them, I love to tell people that ‘my kid did this.’

“It is not just about dancing. I don’t get paid. You have to
love it to do it,” says Hernández.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series on folkloric dance
troupes in Ohio and Michigan. The troupes mentioned above are
Mexican folkloric dance groups but the majority of Latino
countries have such groups. If you are connected with a troupe
and would like to have them included in this series, please
contact the editor at La Prensa.